Kaden Birch was absolutely certain of a few things. First was that [Lashkivores] were some of his least favorite beasts. The second was no quest rewards were worth the stress of being Party Leader. He gained xp from every member of the party, but most days gained more from his Dungeon. The two weren’t related, but they occupied a lot of his time as he worked his way deeper into a cavern, wrapped in [Stealth Aura].

All around him stood sleeping [Lashkivores]. Their greasy gray fur stuck to their bodies, which resembled monkeys with wings and long tails. Serated bone teeth ran down the entire length of the tail, which ended in a ball of gristle and bone with a monkey’s face and teeth.

He moved with purpose, [Soul Binding] each one and then releasing them so he could pass closer and closer to the heart of the nest. At the heart of the nest stood a larger, nearly hairless [Lashkivore].

The longer he listened with [Beast Soul], the more he understood the balance. The more he understood the balance wasn’t even close. Lashkivores, according to [Beast Knowledge] were scavengers who came to eat the parts of the kill Gryphons wouldn’t deal with. In hindsight, the group that had nested near Queen Brownbeak’s tree made perfect sense.

Lashes survived off the edges of a successful colony, occasionally even managing to steal eggs in the darkness. This colony had stolen so many eggs it stood on the verge of killing the gryphons they depended on. Now it was up to Kaden to set it right. These weren’t weaklings like those living in Verona, these were wild Lashes, hardened by fighting for their survival.

Kaden had only one more beast to tame and then the carnage could begin. He reached out, stretching his hand.

You have bound a beast (Mime-ic).

Mime-ic has shifted.

Your binding is undone.

Mime-ic is no longer elligible for binding.

Kaden had only a moment as the creature he thought as the Lash calculated its attack. No longer a Lashkivore, now it loomed over him like a centaur with the foreparts of a preying mantis.

[Mime-ic - Enlightened Boss Monster]

These rare beasts are parasites that move into colonies and situate themselves as leader. Their strength and speed gives them an edge to empower their colonies and then allow themselve to be fed and cared for. Not true shape-shifters, they embody the essence of the creatures they become. Every skill and attribute are stronger. *Beast Knowledge - Bloody hate these things. Found one mime-ing a Dragon and had to go find an actual dragon because the damned thing was just too strong. Wound up in service for twenty years to a dragon.

“Ashi! Now!” Kaden drew Remembrance of Battle to block as the [Mime-ic] lashed out.

Ashi Rahm is requesting Access to use [Mana Conduit].

Kaden had already approved it, twice. A thousand shards of stone exploded outward from Kaden’s chest as Ashi’s spell detonated through him. Dozens of lashes screamed in pain and attempted to identify the intruder.

There were technically two.

The [Mime-ic] was, without question, an enemy, and so was Kaden, except that Kaden’s approach through the coloy had left him with many who weren’t hostile and the [Mime-ic] didn’t have that advantage.

This was the time for him to let nature takes its course. Kaden sprinted through the lashes, using [Moment of Speed] over and over to reach the crag he’d climbed down through. Behind him, the [Mime-ic] found itself at the center of an enraged set of [Lashkivores] who worked as one to punish the now-intruder.

A moment earlier it had been a leader. Now it was meat for the colony.

Or.

One by one, the Mime-ic began tearing lashes apart, trampeling them, gashing and tearing them with its jaws. The colony’s rage turned to fear and the lashes began to flee, leaving only the strongest—and Kaden.

“Give me your hand!” Eve called from above, reaching down. Her platinum blond hair fell further than her hand reached, but at least she wasn’t afraid to help.

“Can’t.” Kaden turned and faced the [Mime-ic], which had finished its slaughter and now focused on Kaden, clattering caws as it pawed the ground with front hoofs. “We have a problem.”

Ashi slid down the crag to land beside him. “Then let us make it not—that beast. What is it?”

Before Kaden could answer, the [Mime-ic] shifted, becoming a [Minotaur], only larger. Harrier. With bigger horns and a more impressive axe.

Kaden, to be frank, felt intimidated. His minotaur form wasn’t awful, but would have looked more like Little Brother next to it. At least he understood minotaur’s style of fighting. “Fine. You chose the way you want to die.”

“Or you.” The [Mime-ic] answered. “Many have died. Now you.”

Ashi hadn’t spoken since it changed. “It is a shapeshifter. It is perfect. Whether you kill it or not, I want the skin it wears for my spellbook.”

“He’ll probably have to kill it.” Eve had joined them down in the cave. “Most creatures won’t let you take off their skin without first killing them. Though I suppose it’s always possible. What do you think, Kaden? Do you want to kill it, or just cut its skin off?”

“I’m right here!” the [Mime-Ic] roared, shifting to a [Bastion Lizard] six feet tall, with armored skin. “You can’t just talk about taking my skin right in front of me.”

“Such magnificent skin,” Ashi said. “I am afraid to use fire, it might ruin the hide. Kaden, please do not put large gashes in it.”

“That’s very considerate,” The [Mime-ic] said. “Still, I must kill you all. You’ve ruined a good thing I had here, but once you’re all dead, I’ll shift back, become one of them and get that feast rolling.”

Kaden held up a hand. “You’re a shape-shifter. You get new skin every time you shift. Isn’t there some way I can just pay you for your skin, and to leave this colony? My pet gryphon lives here, and I’m—hold on.” He checked the registry. “There’s Quest for [Mime-Ic] corpses from the [Vivomancers.].”

“Now you want my whole corpse. You’re a bunch of greedy little [Cenovites] and I’m going to enjoy offering your corpses to my lash friends. Maybe I’ll wear your skins, how would you like that?” The [Mime-ic] hefted its axe and let loose a bray.

Mime-ic has used [Bahamaut Bray].

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Mime-ic’s attack has increased.

Your skill with [Resist Fear] has increased.

Kaden didn’t hesitate. He leaped toward the charging [Minotaur], using [Split Second] to sidestep the thunderous axe-blow. His own didn’t have the force to break bones, but it struck the gut and let Kaden kick the knee.

The giant axe clanged to the floor, and Kaden snatched it into Inventory, causing a roar of agony. The Minotaur was gone, what remained was like a rubbery pink ball of meat with veins and skin that shifted shapes every few moments.

Kaden’s soul ached and burned and he couldn’t keep himself from ejecting the axe from Inventory. It emerged as a smaller ball of flesh that rolled toward the bigger one—and exploded into a geiser of blood. Apparently the weapon was literally a part of the shifter.

“On your feet,” Eve called to Ashi. She’d obviously recovered from the Fear effect and now had Ashi standing. In the same moment she began burning mana to cost the [Mime-ic] health.

Without warning, a [Dragon] stood in the cave, a full-sized [Dragon] with icey blue scales. Every inch of its body was covered in frilly spines, which had to make personal grooming difficult at best.

“Run!” Kaden shouted.

He felt the air moisture crystalize.

The wind in the cavern whipped as the false-dragon inhaled, and frozen death errupted.

Kaden met it with [Wrath of the Furnace], the firey breath he borrowed from the [Drake] at BirchHome, spending every point of mana he had to block the dragon’s deadly cold.

You have Mana Shock!

A dense cloud of steam hid him for a heartbeat, and Kaden wrapped himself in [Stealth Aura], then sprinted to the crevice where Ashi helped Eve climb. Stealth Aura was level three, meaning Kaden could hide both Ashi and Eve, though Eve’s [Moon Glow] skill could have hidden them, they’d never worked out tests for which was the more powerful skill.

Kaden picked both women and began to climb. Ashi could activate [Hover] and become weightless, Eve just didn’t weigh much, and either way they had to escape the underground cavern or become an icecicle. Ten feet from the crevice top, the ground beneath Kaden shuddered and rocks began to fall inward.

“[Moon Fall!]” Eve shouted.

A meteor two feet across whizzed by Kaden’s head and something roared in the darkness behind them. Kaden summoned Remembrance of Battle and used the hammer to haul himself up to the surface and vault out.

He threw Eve and Ashi away as a storm of electricity struck.

You have been struck by [Thunderstorm].

You have taken 1,891 points shocking damage.

You have resisted paralysis.

Mana Shock prevented his skills from saving him, and without Sara, he didn’t have a constant influx of mana. His [Vigorous] talent made him twice as fast, but her constant mana boost made all of them more powerful.

The [Mime-ic] shifted again and errupted as a spider ten feet tall.

“That’s him!” Kaden shouted to the empty night, as storm winds tore at the mountain crag. Somewhere up there were the griphons. “That’s what’s been killing. That’s what’s been eating your eggs.”

In a heart-beat, the [Mime-ic] shifted, becoming a [Gauntling] that stood twelve feet tall. Tendrils of orange light ringed it and it crackled as it formed a sword as long as Kaden was tall. “And you thought to take my skin.”

Kaden trusted Eve stay behind him, and Ashi to choose her attacks using the right type of many. Right now, he activated [Mana Drain] and used it to fill his stores, directing the overflow to Eve and Ashi. Eve responded with [Life Endowment], repairing eight hundred points of health.

All around him, the air grew white as the temperature dropped. The rain that pelted them froze into hail that clattered.

Ashi Rahm has used [Glacial Chill]. Allies are not affected.

Gauntlings were tall and thin and that made them perfect targets for Kaden to hack a leg off. He dodged a graceless kick that would have broken every bone in his body and aimed for an ankle.

Crippling Strikes has delivered a critical blow.

Mobility is reduced.

The Guantling shriveled downward and even before Kaden could see, the heat warned him what was coming. The legs and arms became thick and scaly, the skin brilliant red, the eyes golden, and a Fire Dragon opened its maw to breath destruction.

Kaden banished Remembrance and sprinted toward it even as the jaws glowed so bright it left spots in his vision. “Ashi, ready!”

The air turned to flames.

Stone glowed beneath Kaden’s boots. His needful cloak incandesced and turned to cinders. Kaden, however, was unharmed by virtue of a three inch long lizard which clung to his collar, and now basked in the heat. [Match Lizards] weren’t fierce or fast or deadly.

They were, however, [Fireproof], and thanks to that, so was Kaden.

Ashi Rahm has channeled [Glacial Strike].

Ice exploded out from Kaden’s leading fist, spearing through the mimic-dragon’s hide and then branching out. [Mime-ics] were more powerful because they enhanced their target’s strengths. But they also enhanced their vulnerabilities. The ice-crystals multiplied as mana gushed through [Mana Channel].

The Dragon’s eyes began to melt down into a pool of pink flesh, before they froze solid.

You have defeated a Boss Monster (Mime-Ic).

You have gained experience.

You have gained a level.

Of course, since it was a level he’d already gained before dying to the pirate king Harrigan, no attribute points or talent.

“Yes!” Ashi shouted. “Level twenty eight! And the hide!”

Eve stepped out from a rock outcropping. “I, too, leveled. It’s taken months but it’s still faster than anyone should gain a level. No new talent.”

Kaden nodded, watching as the mound of flesh that had been the [Mime-ic] slowly transmuted into its true form. “I’m not going to harvest this, we’ll go to Trunistan and get a professional crafter. And make certain they understand we need this hide, not a voucher.”

“Kaden.” Eve’s voice nearly cracked as the ground thudded.

He turned and looked as gryphon after gryphon landed. Kaden’s head reached the top of their knees, but they surrounded him. “I told you I’d come back and protect Cloud. That thing was pretending to be a [Lashkivore], but it’s the reason you lost so many young. I need the corpse, or I’d let you eat it.”

Kaden steadied himself and then pulled the Boss corpse into Inventory. It was large. Too large, and as always it felt like eating too many [Preserved Biscuits], which was to say, one.

The largest of the gryphons was Gale-Heart, black as the night sky. He towered over Kaden but lowered its eagle head so it could stare face to face. *Good death. Strong Aeirie.*

“Yes. The Lashes will always be around. I can’t get rid of them and even if I did, more would come, but you’re strong. You can protect against lashes.” Kaden dipped his head out of respect to Gale-heart.

Beside Gale-heart stood a gryphon with tan feathers, Sand-Wing. She let out a screech, and stepped back, revealing a gryphon as tall as Kaden, built like an actual lion with an actual eagle front half. It gave a chirp of delight and sprinted toward Kaden, claws outstretched.

Kaden crouched and leaped, letting [Split Second] tell him when to move his head so his skull wasn’t cracked open. He slammed into the juvenile gryphon and fell backwards, rolling. “You are huge! You fit under my arm last time I saw you.”

Beast Speech translated Cloud’s cry as *Big. Strong.*

Not compared to its surrogate parents. “Can you fly yet?”

Cloud stood with one claw on either side of Kaden’s chest and stretched out his wings, flapping hard. His eagle claws lifted off the ground, but his hind legs remained stubbornly attached to the ground until he folded his wings and gave a frustrated shriek. *Strong. Weak.*

Before Kaden could even speak, Sandwing’s cry cut through the night, a tangled mess of meanings [Beast Soul] translated as *It’s ok. Who’s proud of you? Mama’s proud.*

Kaden pushed himself up and put his arms around Cloud to squeeze him. “You’re doing great. And Ash-Claw laid an egg, that’s fantastic. You’re going to have a sibling!”

[Beast Soul] caught the strong whiff of jealousy that rolled off Cloud, who shivered in the rain until Sand-Wing called him back under her.

“I’ll come back in a month to check on you, ok?” Kaden bowed to both the gryphon leaders, who had no response. It was natural, in their view, for him to help protect Cloud—or any other gryphon. “You mind if I clean up?”

“Oh, no.” Eve said softly. “Please, don’t.”

Kaden made it quick, because alchemists couldn’t afford to be sqeamish, and neither could their lovers. “I brought an Inventory cube this time. I don’t mind storing corpses in my soul. Literal mounds of shit are another thing.”

Ashi had turned slightly green and it wasn’t from absorbing life mana. “Please, let us go to Trunistan.”

They almost made it to the FarPortal before a messenger bird arrived. Kaden had gotten used to this, as a temporary party leader. He listenened to it, then performed quick Inventory juggling. “Eve, Ashi, this is the corpse. The hide goes to Trunnistan for processing, the corpse, turn into the [Vivomancer’s] college there so we can get the Faction Quest reward. I have to meet with druids. And our Quest broker.”

Ashi accepted the cube and hugged him gently. “So it will be.”

“I’ll ensure there’s no voucher disaster,” Eve said. “I enjoy Trunistan now that it’s low on slavers.”

King Evander had made it clear that he’d appreciate Kaden staying away for a few decades, and Kaden could respect that. Right now, he had to see some druids about controlling an invasive species, and some other druids about creating one.